


A Queen's Reign

by SimplyMusicality



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 14:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11359254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyMusicality/pseuds/SimplyMusicality
Summary: Altair Lucis Caelum was born 3 minutes and 43 seconds before her twin brother, and that's not something she's liable to let him forget.Her brother was always primed to lead Insomnia, and Altair was okay with that. Noctis's life as king was to be dictated by political alliances and strict social protocol, while Altair was free to live as she pleased. For now the goal is to give Noctis the life he wants before he gives it all up to be king. After that, there would be plenty of time for Altair's own needs.What happens when that all changes?How does one choose when it comes down to love or duty?





	A Queen's Reign

**Author's Note:**

> Shameless writing for an OC I have fallen in love with. Rewriting a lot of canon events with an added POV. (So spoilers through the end game!) 
> 
> Rating could potentially be changed later, depending on how my muse decides to realize the ideas I have in my head.
> 
> Eventual Altair/Prompto? But not gonna lie, she's kind of dense, so we'll see how slow the burn goes.

The Regalia slowed to a stop in the city of Lestallum. "Finally." Altair muttered, climbing out of the back of the car and stretching her arms high above her head. The waterside breeze felt good against her skin, and the sun felt warm against her face. She moved her arms around, just taking in the space. They had been driving for hours. Altair didn't mind driving so much, she enjoyed watching the scenery pass by her window. Riding in the backseat between Noctis and Gladio, however, was almost torture. 

"Do you hate me that much, Alta?" Noctis teased with a grin. "Awful eager to get out of the car." Altair rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the nickname. When they were little, Noctis struggled to say the "air" sound. Things had gone so wrong since they left the city, and the teasing felt like home.

"I hate you drooling on my shoulder." She jabbed right back. "Honestly Noctis, is it necessary for you to doze off every time you are still for longer than 20 seconds?" Noctis made a show of pretending to doze off, and Altair jabbed him with her elbow. 

She and her twin had always been like this. Noctis and Altair were born three minutes and forty-three seconds apart. Altair was born first and, naturally, she would never let her little brother forget that. Growing up in the palace was lonely. They were in public school because they were supposed to make friends that way. Unfortunately, after a few tries to get to know their classmates it became clear that they only wanted to be close to the Crown Prince and Princess for the novelty of it. Having each other around definitely made growing up easier. 

“Ow…” Altair winced slightly as Noctis retaliated with a rough shove. For the first time she turned her attention to the city. 

Altair had never been to Lestallum, but when she heard "the City of Lestallum" this was not what she was expecting. Cities were modern clusters of innovation. Lestallum was… Not that. The buildings were old and squished close together, and it was almost as if a thin layer of dust covered the city. There was nothing wrong with it- in fact it was cute in a quaint sort of way. Though that didn't stop the disappointment. Something more modern would have felt like home, and maybe made so much of this easier. 

“Oh come on Noct don’t hit a lady…” Prompto feigned personal offense to his friend’s attack on Altair.

“Altair is no lady.” Noctis insisted, ruffling his twin’s hair roughly before she could run out of the way.

“Noctis-”

"Let's head to the hotel to meet up with Iris." Gladio suggested, interrupting the twins’ bickering. "Before Noct here falls asleep again." Noctis was less impressed when Gladio said it, but Altair was amused nonetheless. Gladio wasn’t wrong.

"Think we could swing for two rooms tonight?" Altair offered as they took to the brick-paved streets. There were so many people. Markets and vendors lined the streets, and people walked between them. Smiling, laughing... It was a people watcher's dream. Noctis turned to look at his twin, unimpressed with her request. Altair gave him an equally unimpressed look. "Look. I'm just saying. We've been on the road a while. It would be nice to have my own bathroom and shower for a night. Our last camp didn’t have a river near by… You all kind of smell..." Before anyone could respond, they had entered the Leville and a voice was greeting them from the stairwell.

"Gladdy!" Altair looked up and smiled as she saw Iris rushing down, giving her older brother a hug. Gladiolus returned the sentiments, a large grin on his face. "And Noctis!" Iris turned her attention over to the royal and almost went in for the hug before blushing and stopping short. So the crush still lingered. The thought made Altair chuckle. She remembered the occasional sleepover, making faces and gagging noises as Iris gushed about how cute she thought Noctis was. 

"What am I?" Altair teased. "I can just leave I guess..." She made a play of turning around to leave. Iris smiled, hugging the older girl.

"Altair it's so nice to see you! I'm so glad everyone is okay." Altair hugged back and nodded. Iris had been one of her good friends. They were never as close as Prompto and Noctis were (likely due to the age gap), but she still enjoyed the other girl's company. It was a good excuse to get away from the apartment when Prompto and Noctis were hanging out.

It had nothing to do with hating Prompto. He was a good guy. But, there was something strange about seeing Noctis walking home with a friend the first time. Who was this? What did he want with Noctis? No one had just wanted to be friends with either of them. Ever. And Prompto’s sudden appearance was just a little bit suspicious. 

Altair hung around the apartment for the first few times Prompto was over, and if she was looking for some kind of scandal, something to point out to Noctis that this was a bad idea, she was not finding anything. Well, unless the secret plot was to kick Noctis’s ass in video games. Prompto was clearly knocking that one out of the park. 

At the end of the day, Altair couldn’t really be that surprised. They had been in school with Prompto since elementary. He was always so quiet, just existing on the edge of the class. It was almost hard to believe that their over enthusiastic spunky mess of a human being was the same Prompto. So much had changed. Well, the camera stayed the same. Altair remembered one day in elementary school, she’d asked Prompto what he was taking pictures of. She didn’t remember exactly what happened next, except whatever it was resulted in Prompto stuttering and more or less running away.

Ultimately, Prompto’s friendship was good for Noctis. He needed something of his own. Something he could enjoy purely for his own benefit. When he was king, he wasn’t going to have a lot of that. Conversely, when Noctis was king, Altair would have the opportunity for plenty of that. Her own life, her own whims and desires. All while her twin was seated on the throne, governing an entire country. She would be there to support the burden, of course, but it was Noctis’s name that would carry the consequence. Any and all of his actions scrutinized and held to a standard alongside the good of Insomnia.

Altair was fine forgoing her own personal wishes to ensure that Noctis got his. At least for now anyway.

And that didn’t include Luna. Luna was by no means a bad person, it was just-

"Let's go ahead and get everyone to a room, you guys are staying here right?" Iris confirmed, breaking Altair out of her own head. They agreed, and made their way upstairs. 

Altair sat down on the couch, sinking into the plush padding. The accommodations were not the best, but anything was really better than camping chairs. Jared and Talcott made an appearance, and Altair relaxed a little. She’d been trying not to think about the people close to them, about anything to do with the Crown City, really. Still. Seeing them and seeing Iris gave her some semblance of hope for the future. 

After the pair took their leave, the brunette was content to rest for a while before heading into the city for supplies, but Noctis just had to ask the big question.

"What was it like inside the Crown City?" He asked Iris. Altair stood quickly.

"I'm going to run into city for some supplies. Anyone care to come with me?" She spoke quickly, and an interval higher than her usual speech. She cut off the end of Noctis’s question and refused to look over at him. Altair knew Noctis was frowning. She knew that it was important to know what the extent of the damage was, but she couldn't hear it just yet.

Noctis was never as close to their father as Altair was. Even so, news of his death had been a shock to both of them. Noctis took his time to grieve and mourn, and Altair remained stuck in a state of denial. If she didn’t think about it, it wasn’t true. They were going to find Luna, get Noctis hitched, and then…

And then Altair didn’t know. And that was terrifying.

Gladio and Ignis turned to look at each other and Altair frowned. She could almost hear the silent argument about whose turn it was to babysit her. “Nevermind. I’ll go by my-”

“I’ll go.” Prompto stood up from his place on the edge of one of the beds as all eyes turned towards him. “We passed this ice cream truck on the way in that looked incredible.” He crossed the room and opened the door, glancing back at Altair. “Dude, you coming?” 

“Yeah.” Altair said quietly, exiting the room quickly. 

~

The pair ventured down the streets of Lestallum, wandering and not lingering too long in any particular place. Eventually they made their way down to the water’s edge. Altair leaned against the railing, stealing a glance at her companion. Prompto’s gaze was fixated on the water in front of them, and the sunlight illuminated the freckles on his face. He had been quiet this entire time. Altair wasn’t complaining, but it was odd for Prompto. Usually when they were all out together it was hard to get Prompto to shut up. But now he looked contemplative… Almost serene. Content within his own mind. Altair almost wondered what was on his mind. 

Prompto’s face shifted towards her and Altair quickly looked away, focusing on the water. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in rich purple and orange. Lestallum was no Crown City, but this view wasn’t so bad. 

The Crown City. 

Altair winced.

“This view is nice.” Prompto spoke up for the first time on their trip, interrupting Altair’s thoughts of home. Altair turned to look at Prompto and their eyes met. 

“How would you know?” She teased, nudging him and turning her attention back to the sunset. “If you look away you’re going to miss it.” She catched Prompto’s head whipping back towards the sunset in the corner of her eye, then she heard a distinct click.

“Pictures last forever.” Prompto commented. She heard the click again, and the flash washed over her.

“Hey…” She warned. Prompto’s photography habit was one of the many things she’d had to accept about this road trip. (Admittedly, it was one of the easier habits to accept.) Still, there was an unspoken arrangement where photos of Altair were not taken without explicit permission. 

“Oh come on! It was a perfect shot!” Prompto insisted, leaning closer to Altair to show her the picture on the screen. It wasn’t bad, but Altair would be damned if she let him know that.

“It’s alright I guess.” Prompto groaned in response, leaning over the railing. He looked so sad, lips full and pouting. Altair almost felt bad. “Almost” being the operative word.

Altair sighed, watching as the sun finally disappeared beneath the horizon. Stars lit up the sky above, and the busy hustle and bustle of the streets was finally begin to fall quiet. “Hey Prompto?” Altair glanced over at the blonde beside her. “Thanks for coming with me. You didn’t have to.” Prompto shrugged, looking off the the side.

“It’s not a problem.” The gunslinger rubbed the back of his neck. “I get it, you know? It’s hard thinking about it. And you lost your dad, and-”

“Prompto.” Altair interrupted. “I still don’t really want to talk about it.” Prompto nodded.

“Let’s head back then.” 

“Good idea.” Altair agreed. And hopefully Noct is already asleep. 

~

Altair had no such luck. Upon entering the lobby of the hotel, Altair was greeted by her brother in her face. 

“What is your problem?” He accused, frowning. 

“What do you mean?” Altair feigned ignorance, refusing to look him in the eye.

“That stunt you pulled. It’s our job to-” 

“-Noct, maybe you could lay off a bit...” Prompto interrupted on Altair’s behalf and the brunette frowned.

“Thanks, but I’m going to talk to my brother alone for a second.” Prompto looked between the twins frowning. He looked like he was going to say something, but seemed to rethink it.

“Alright. But both of you come back in one piece.” The twins nodded, waiting for the footsteps to fade before resuming their conversation. 

“It’s complicated.” Altair insisted, focusing anywhere but her brother’s face.

“It’s cowardice.” Noctis countered, frowning. “We need to know what we’ll be looking at when we rebuild, we need to know how devastated the city is, we owe it to our people to have a plan. ITs our job to-”

“It’s your job.” Altair frowned, looking her brother in the eye. “I have no say in anything.” Noctis clenched his fist.

“Dad would want-”

“We don’t know what dad would want. Dad is dead Noctis. Dead. Gone. And our home is destroyed.” Altair could feel the tears coming, and could feel her resolve wavering. “He sent us away. He gave up. He didn’t fight. We don’t know what he wanted from us.” She could feel the tears building, threatening to fall any moment.

“He would want to us rebuild Insomnia, to-”

“We don’t know that. You called me a coward but he was a coward! He knew and he hid this from us, he sent us away and there was no plan and-” And Altair couldn’t take it anymore. The tears started flowing and her chest heaved with sobs. Noctis opened his mouth, ready to retaliate before stopping himself, opting instead to pull his twin into a hug. 

“We’ll get through this.” He whispered to his twin. “We’re together. That’s the most important thing. And we have Ignis and Gladio around… And Prompto... We’ve got this under control. We’ll find Luna, and after that we’ll rebuild. We’ll rebuild it better.” Altair made a scoffing noise. “What?” Noctis asked, slightly offended.

“Luna.” Noctis let go of his sister, sighing. 

“What is your problem with Luna?” 

“Nothing.” Altair insisted, wiping the remaining tears from her face before wiping at the tear stain on her brother’s shirt. “She’s a great girl.” 

“But it always comes back to Luna with you.” Noctis groaned, wiping a tear from Altair’s cheek that she had missed.

“Because you don’t love her…” Altair insisted with a chuckle as Noctis rolled his eyes. “I mean you do, but like you love me. You’re not in love with her.”

“Maybe I am.”

“You’re not. I would know.” Altair sighed. “I just want you to find someone on your own. Have some great romance…” 

“Why don’t you?” Noctis suggested with a smirk. “I could live vicariously through you while being happy in my own relationship and-” Altair actually laughed out loud.

“Me? Yeah right.” She dismissed the idea. “We have to get you taken care of first. Get you set as some fancy ass king or something.” She’d always teased Noctis about the idea of ruling. She always found it fun to tease him and insist that she would be the better ruler. Not that she actually wanted that kind of responsibility. The only way that she’d be queen would be if Noctis died without an of age heir, and like hell she was going to let Noctis die before she did. 

Noctis chuckled, messing up his sister’s hair fondly. “Feeling better?” He asked softly. 

“Maybe a little bit.” Altair admitted. “Thanks.” 

“Good.” Noctis yawned loudly before glancing over at the stairs. “Should we head back to our room now?” 

“I guess.” Altair more or less agreed. “But I was serious earlier. What are the odds of getting my own room?”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> You can also follow me on tumblr! @artsy-bassoonist  
> And you can stalk my writing on rpnation.com @SimplyMusicality


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